I'm Molting...

It's a sad, sad day when my orange and green feathers fall out...but Cassie says she will fix it...soon I hope. I miss being a young, hot chick ;)

Flock of Seagulls

My friend Cassie cut and colored my hair. It looks amazing. I think this might be my favorite hairstyle yet!

My poor hair was a bit overwhelmed yesterday. I washed it this morning (usually I just use conditioner but I used shampoo this morning...trust me that this method works for my curls and I do not have greasy stinky hair), then Cas put on this stuff that would help get rid of some f the black color I inflicted my poor hair with, then washed my hair twice to get the crap out. My hair literally felt like straw and was so tangled. It was gross....still kinda grosses me out...ugh. Then she cut my hair, put the color on and then washed my hair again. My poor hair was in shock, but I think it has forgiven me because it looks amazing this morning. I have gotten multiple compliments and Matt abso-friggin-lutely loves it. So it is now a dark, dark brownish red, with blondish caramel highlights....oh and a couple of orange feathers and a green shimmery one too...I kid you not. I think that was Matt's favorite part. I wanted something really funky and baby did I get it! I think they are cute and I can wash them and style them just like my regular hair and when I get sick of them I will just have Cassie take them out. I think Isabelle would look cute with a hot pink one..I'm just sayin'. Matt says it looks like I have been rolling in the hay, minus the hay part..just the feathers...I just shake my head at him & sigh (who would ever want to roll in the hay? I have never understood that. Wouldn't it be all scratchy and itchy and there are probably bugs and mice...ick, I just gave myself the heebie jeebies!) Sorry about the lame pictures, but I can't find my camera and so I have to use my phone & these pictures come out SO not right. My hair looks better in person...I promise!

Confusion

Have you ever been stuck wondering how to choose between two good things? Two things that both felt so right and yet you didn't know what to do? I am so grateful for blessings. I am currently majoring in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education. I have always felt good about this decision. I have LOVED it!!!! So lately I have been thinking about the Health Promotion major. I love everything about it. It's fascinating to me and I want to take every single class. AND I feel good about it. WHAT???? How can both of these feel good and yet I can only pick one. I already have a double major I am working on, I don't need a third! This is why I am grateful for prayer, the priesthood, and a patient husband who will sit down with me and work through every little option that I have. So....here is the decision...for now {wink, wink}:
Early Childhood and Elementary Education double major
Health Promotion minor.
I just feel like I could do so much good with both and after the hours it took to come to this conclusion we both feel at peace. Thank heaven...literally!

{Insert contented sigh here}

I believe Spring has finally sprung around here. The Kindergartners made homemade kites with their families last week and on Friday they got to fly them. Matt helped the kids make their kites. It was so much fun!

I didn't realize it was a Kindergarten thing and so Isabelle made a kite too. Ben's teacher is so nice and talked with Isabelle's teacher and so my girl got permission to fly kites with them. She was very excited (and yes she is wearing pajama pants, it was pajama day at school...)

"Let's go fly a kite! Up to the highest height! Let's go fly a kite and send it soaring, up through the atmosphere, up where the air is clear. Oh let's go...fly a kite!"

I'm tired. I want to get a new car. Our van sucks. The end.

I Feel Like A Rock Star When...

...I score awesome deals at the D.I. (door hanging baskets for my pantry...oh yeah!) ...I don't kill Ben when he was super whiny this morning, due to crawling into Isabelle's bed last night and staying up late with her talking. (I went to wake her up this morning & saw Ben crawl out of her bed...BUSTED!) ...I have all of my homework completed! ...I do my yoga in the morning ...I drive the van all by myself =) ...I go to the doctor and don't have to pay a dime (due to the fact that we have already met our massive deductible) ...Matt takes us to get dinner at Del Taco (and no, Ben didn't start proselyting) ...I have a bad dream and Matt wakes me up cause I am yelling and then proceeds to walk me to the bathroom because I have to pee but am still slightly asleep and am afraid the little Megamind alien is hiding somewhere. He also got me a drink of water...he is the greatest. (And yes, now that it is morning I am slightly embarrassed but grateful I didn't have to pee by myself) ...I get up later in the night and go to the bathroom all by myself (hehe...must have been all that water I drank!) ...I see my Orthopedic Surgeon and he is amazed at how well my shoulder is doing! (He can't believe it has only been 4 weeks and I can raise my arm above my head) ...I put in a new scentsy scent. (hides the dirty house smell =)) ...writing a post in rainbow =) * So, what makes you feel like a rock star? (I stole this post idea from Matt's cousin...she is totally a rock star and I wanted to feel like one too!)

Called to serve...

The other night when the Sister Missionaries were over for dinner they were talking about Alma and the sons of Helamen and about their mission. They then asked the kids where they wanted to go on their missions.... Isabelle said California Ben said Del Taco I asked him why Del Taco and he said "Because they have yummy tacos!" It reminded me of my little brother Joshua...he wanted to go to McDonald's because they have a playground and good food. (I think there might have been another reason...but I can't remember) Oh Benny! I just love you!!! (and I love their tacos too =))

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

Apparently this is how Utah welcomes in spring... This was taken Thursday night outside of the gym at Weber.

This was taken Friday morning looking out from my porch. OI VAY!!!! I am thinking we should just celebrate Christmas again. I don't think the Easter Bunny travels in this weather.

Want to know a secret??? Promise not to tell???

So I have a confession to make. Ok maybe I have more then one, but we will just have to wait and see how may things can spew from my brain. I hate gardening. Wow! my heart is beating like crazy! That took a lot getting that out. Matt hates gardening too. My heart did nothing when I typed that so I must not feel so guilty telling his secrets..heehee. The thing is that I guess gardening is the thing to do in Utah. And I am having a hard time conforming. People talk about how great it is to get fresh tomatoes from their garden and how they taste like manna from heaven. I prefer my tomatoes not so red, not always so ripe, and dirt & bug free. I feel like I am such a horrible person for saying all of this. I hate weeding. I hate remembering to water (this is more Matt's hate since he is the water guy). I hate spending hours in the hot sun trying to get things to look nice and then go out the next Saturday and it looks like I haven't done anything for months (kinda like vacuuming my "lovely" green carpet downstairs.) I hate having others look at my garden and try to give me advice. I also hate when they look at me like I am insane because I either planted too late or too early....ugh! Maybe we are just lazy...maybe. But I love taking care of things indoors. I LOVE painting...it makes my heart happy. I would really like to just pull every single plant out of my yard and let the grass grow. We can handle mowing (well Matt can =)). I do like my trees. They are still small and we have an apple and a cherry. But they are seriously low maintenance. I like that. If we had the money I would seriously hire a landscaper to make my yard beautiful and have them come every week to do the upkeep. Is that so wrong? Am I a horrible person? If we don't have a garden this year will I go to heck? I'm just wondering...cause personally I love getting my Bountiful Basket every week, it totally fulfills my produce needs and it is so much easier than having a garden. I'm just sayin'. Please still love me & that's all. (we even are killing our houseplant...green thumbs do not exist around here!)

Happiness is...

...Having Isabelle pack my lunch for school today! Yogurt & Batman fruit snacks,

The cutest note ever written on my napkin! It says, "I love you sooo much mommy! (heart) Isabelle P.S. Did you get a hera ckut (haircut)! Ha Ha." We need to work on her humor...and no I didn't get a haircut =)

Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich,

Pickle flavored Sunflower seeds. It says, "Dzert (dessert) for you." She told me later that she didn't want to give me cookies because I am trying to eat healthy so she had to think really hard about a dessert for me and this is what she decided on! So cute! (I'm not really supposed to be eating fruit snacks either...but I guess she forgot & since I didn't want to hurt her feelings I HAD to eat them...wink, wink.)

Tortilla chips,

And last but not least...a few leaves of lettuce drowned (and when I say drowned...I mean you could not resuscitate these leaves if your life depended on it) in my favorite Green Garlic dressing!

I think that this is probably one of the best lunches I have ever had...ever!

...eating Ice Cream in the rain!

Last year Grandma Bonnie told Ben that this would be a good idea and he has stuck to it! Of course they ate inside, but I am a mean mom and made them pose outside. It was funny! I think this is a fabulous tradition for rainy days =)

...getting all of the classes that I wanted to get for next semester

...putting brightly colored Easter eggs out around the house to welcome spring

...finding out that Skinny Cow ice cream tastes REALLY good!

...knowing that the semester is almost over...only one week and 2 days almost over

...having Matt laugh at my lame jokes and knowing that he doesn't mind listening to them for the rest of forever

...leaving my hair down and curly today and not having it frizz out super crazy

...not having to get up early and babysit because it is the kids spring break

...having Andrew here to take care of the kids while they are off for Spring Break (they only have Thursday, Friday, and Monday off...lame)

...having the Sister missionaries over for dinner. They are so stinkin cute and funny & I think that we should hang out more.

...life unedited

Girls Only!

I found these pics that are of me and my girl. They were from last year. We were having a girl's night! The boys were gone on a father/son camp out with Matt's Dad & so Isabelle and her mama got to play. We got Clueless from the Redbox (warning: not a good movie for littles...I hadn't seen it for a million years and yeesh!), got some fast food & had a party...including FACIALS! My sweet Isabelle Jolene...I just love this girl and am so glad that she is mine!

Enjoying the small things

Ok so I just have to give a shout out to my newest favoritest blog... It is http://www.kellehampton.com/ Enjoying the small things. She writes some fabulous stuff & I have cried, smiled, and seriously laughed out loud at some of her posts. She has 2 little girls and her littlest was born with Down Syndrome just over a year ago. That post was seriously gut wrenching & beautiful at the same time. Anyhoo...I love her blog & it truly inspires me. Plus I think she is gorgeous and I love her style. You might like her, you might not. Whatever...I don't care =) I have been following her for awhile now and she is seriously amazing. Plus she has a killer playlist. On most blogs the playlists seriously annoy me, but not on hers. In fact after I read her post for the day I usually leave it on and open up a new window just so I can keep listening to her playlist. Kinda weird, but I seriously love her music. So....yeah...that's all =)

Master Isabelle

I know I have been posting a lot, oh well. I consider this my place where I want to write things I don't want to forget as well as keeping a "scrapbook." Well here are a few tidbits to share. First off...... We now have ourselves a Master Isabelle to go along with our Master Ben! I am so proud of my kids!!!

And if you want to know what kind of day Monday was...well here is my trash...Little Cesar's...Not such a great day I didn't feel good, had a headache, did a relaxation exercise to help get me some energy and ended up falling asleep at 4:30 pm...I woke up at 8! Yikes and put Matt in charge of dinner. It was delicious just so you know, mainly because I didn't have to cook it. (and just fyi my dietician cleared pizza that morning so I didn't have any guilt whatsoever....and yes I have lost 6 lbs...woohoo!)

Advice

I am contemplating bangs....any thoughts?

Warning: this post contains a discussion of girls and boys parts...just remember you were warned.

Sooooo.... Apparently I have failed at being a mom. Friday morning I got out of bed, went into the bathroom, and then when i went back in my room I saw that two little bugs had crawled in my bed and were pretending to hide from me. I started tickling them and... Isabelle: (laughing) "Oh man he stuck his foot right on my penis!" WHAT THE WHAT????????????? I told her that she does not have a penis, only boys do. So she asked me what she has and I told her that she has a vagina. She looked at me like, "Mama you are full of craziness...I have a what?????" I made Ben leave the room and asked her if she had any questions (what was I thinking???) She told me sorry that she called her vagina a penis, but she didn't know what her girl parts were called. I then had to explain that people just don't say those words out in the open. Although people seem to have an easier time saying penis, than vagina. I know that I do...I tend to whisper the word. I don't know why either. Maybe it's because it is hidden, whereas a boys junk just hangs out for all the world to see. I then told her that the vagina is where the baby comes out when it is born. We had to clarify that it is not the same hole as where the pee comes out. I could see the confusion on her face, so I told her it was a muscle that expands as a baby is born but gets small again. She wanted to know if that hurts and I told her yes, but our bodies are special and when a baby is being born the mothers body actually sends special stuff to help keep it from not hurting too badly (I don't remember what this is called). She then asked how I knew that because I was numb when she was born, and I told her yes, but not when Ben was born. And I told her that even though it hurts, the second my cute little babies were placed in my arms I didn't feel the hurt anymore. I just wanted to love up on my babies. She smiled at this. I told her that some women don't have any medicine at all and they are ok. I referred to her Aunt Jamie (Hope that was ok Jamie). I told her that Aunt Jamie didn't have medicine with some of her babies and she was fine and said it wasn't too bad at all. I think she believed me but who can tell. And I did mention the word sex. I think I said something about how Heavenly Father has given men and women special parts so that we can make babies. She wanted to know how that worked. I was a bit terrified but went with my gut instinct and told her that they have sex and it is a very special thing that happens only between a husband and wife. She wanted to know what sex was and I told her that I would tell her in a few years. But it is special and sacred and that Heavenly Father gave us this ability and it is only to be used between husband and wife. She then brought up the 17 year old neighbor who has a one year old. I told her that yes it is sad that she had a baby and wasn't married. But heavenly father wants children to have a mommy and a daddy who are married. WOW!!!! I also told her that this is something that we just don't go talking about at school with our friends. I emphasized on the sacred nature of it all and she seemed to get that ( I hope). I also hope that I don't get a call from her teacher saying that Isabelle is now teaching the sex ed class....oi vay! I didn't give her any details, and what I did tell her I felt was appropriate. Any more and I think she would be traumatized for life! I also told her that if she ever has any questions then she can come to me and ask me ANYTHING. I would rather have her sexual knowledge come from me then her little school friends! Has anyone ever had this happen yet? I just felt so bad that my little girl had to call her vagina a penis because she didn't know what else to call it.....so glad that we cleared that up. She also has a hard time saying vagina....it comes out way warped and I try really hard not to laugh =)

Master Ben

At the kids school they have been focusing on encouraging the kids to someday go to college. Each class has picked a university to represent. To go along with this theme they started having the kids earn degrees. So every quarter they are given Bachelor's, then Master's, and finally their Doctorate.

Today Ben earned his Master's degree! Go Ben!!! I just love this little boy! Ben thought it was great that his Uncle Andrew was able to be there too!

I am so proud of both of my kids for the hard work they do in school! I am one proud Mama!

The Ultrasling II

Let me introduce you to the Ultrasling II. It's not so bad once you get used to it although it feels bulky, but not as bulky as I had thought. And I was told I would have to use the pillow part for four weeks but because I was doing so well I only had to wear it for a week. So nice! Another thing I thought was fun to throw away! Here is a picture I found online. It shows it better than in the picture of me wearing it.

I know, cute picture right.....ugh...wrong! But this is me post surgery. My hand all taped up from the IV, and me wearing my huge old sling. My arm that is in the sling, yeah, I couldn't feel it. It was totally numb. I could feel a little sensation in my pinky and that is it. It was kind of wierd. I have a fabulous looking face going on too. We will blame that on the drugs. So, this is me on drugs. Matt helped me put on a swimsuit top because I couldn't put a bra on and this thing tied around my neck and gave me a smidgen of support. He cut one of the straps on my cami so it could go around my shoulder and just safety pinned it there. I was feeling very attractive. Let me tell ya. The next day we went to Shopko and I found some tube top things that worked good for a bra and also a strapless bra which has been my best friend. We also got me some new garment tops that were very stretchy. I think it is so funny that I thought I was smiling all cute! Hahaha!!

Physical Therapy

I started physical therapy today. It's not as bad as everyone made it out to be, but my Dr. did say I was recovering really well and also my physical therapist was amazed at how well my shoulder is already. It did hurt a smidgen, but mostly my shoulder is just sore from all of the exercises. i have to do them twice a day. I'm sure Andrew will keep me in line...he has so far! So I am feeling very blessed and thankful for my doctors, physical therapist, and my Heavenly Father. I am one lucky duck =)

April Fools Day

Happy Aprils Fools Day!!!

Now normally I don't do anything different on this day. We have just never celebrated it. Today after Andrew & I dropped the kids off at school we started talking about April Fools jokes. I decided that we would do a little tricking at home for dinner =) Andrew was my co-conspirator....it was a lot of fun. Dinner was set out and I put a casserole on the table that Matt's mom brought me today. It was frozen and when Matt lifted the cover off I said "Oh no! I thought she told me she had cooked it!" I out it aside and said, "Fine...we are having cake for dinner." Isabelle wasn't sure if I was serious or not, but I brought the "cake" over and had Matt cut it. He gave some to Ben & Isabelle and Ben was SO excited. He picked up a huge piece with his fork and put it in his mouth. he quickly pulled it out (it was still on his fork) and looked at it like he couldn't figure out why it didn't taste like chocolate cake. He then proceeded to pull an onion off of his tongue. I was laughing so hard!!!!!! Matt, Andrew, & I were totally cracking up! It was really meatloaf frosted with mashed potatoes. Isabelle then went to take a drink of her "kool-aid" and got very concerned when her straw wouldn't move. It took her a second but then she started laughing saying it was jell-o. Oh boy, it was AWESOME!!!!!

For Dessert we had "taco salad." It was really a waffle cup with rocky road ice cream (meat & beans), strawberry jam (salsa), black licorice (olives), cherries (tomatoes), watermelon airheads cut up (lettuce), and whipped cream (sour cream). They definitely didn't fool anyone, which I figured it wouldn't but it was still fun to have "dessert" for dinner & "dinner" for dessert. Here is Ben slurping his "kool-aid".

Isabelle & the "kool-aid". Andrew eating his now favorite cake (he has a thing for meatloaf!) Ben and his "cake".

Matt cutting the "cake".

Oh this was too much fun!